The Lounge Kittens release charity single for Shelter from the Storm

The Lounge Kittens turn things upside-down again for their final STOP-EVERYTHING-THE-KITTENS-ARE-DOING-SOMETHING-DAY as they release the video for The Darkness’ power ballad “Love Is Only A Feeling”, but donate the entire video budget to charity.

Currently on tour with the mighty Status Quo, the tongue-in-cheek temptresses are wowing audiences across the UK with their carefully constructed set-list of classic rock covers and just last weekend added London’s O2 to their impressive résumé. With a few dates (including Liverpool’s Echo Arena and the SSE Hydro Glasgow) still to go before they hang up their high heels for the year, the Kittens are proving they can hold their own against a full-on rock show in an enormous arena. But the message they are sending with this latest video is a deliberate step away from the glitz, glamour and triumph that has followed them these past few months.

“This has been an unbelievable year for us,” Jen (the Red one) tells us. “We have achieved so much and enjoyed such highs but it’s also been one of the hardest years we’ve ever experienced. Let’s face it, 2016 has been tough on everyone! We really wanted to end it by paying something forward.”

“We are consistently pushed to progress our “brand” and constantly encouraged to grow. More production, more content, bigger budgets…” Zan (Pink) chimes in, “But when it came time to work on the video for ‘Love Is Only A Feeling’ we asked ourselves, how can we convey the beauty of this song and what it means to us without cliché, without the saccharin and how can we do some good without seeming like we’re just doing something nice to garner attention for ourselves?”

“After a lot of debate and some serious soul-searching we decided to take our video budget and shove it up 2016’s bottom.” Timia (Blue) concludes. “The wonderful Marianne Harris gave up her time for free to record us simply singing a song that we love and we donated the money we would have spent on a fancy video to Shelter from the Storm.”

Shelter from the Storm is London’s free homeless shelter. Open all year round it survives on donations alone and provides beds and hot meals for those seeking refuge, no matter who they are or where they’ve come from. “We’re a small organisation. We remember everyone that’s been through our doors,” says Sheila Scott, Co-Founder of SFTS. “It’s encouraging to see young people like The Lounge Kittens wanting to give something back to their community.”

Even The Darkness themselves have given the Kittens’ efforts the big thumbs up. “Their version is exquisite. They have made love ‘more’ than a feeling,” says Frankie Poullain. TLK are hopeful that a little light will be shining on the team at Shelter from the Storm as they work throughout the festive season and wish you all a Merry Christmas, wherever you are.